Al-Ittihad has begun searching for a new face to lead the team’s project in the coming years, given the anticipated departure of Karim Benzema. It seems that the Saudi club’s officials have settled on the identity of the replacement for the Real Madrid legend in Jeddah: current Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.
Benzema is currently pressuring Al-Ittihad to sell him this winter after the relationship between the two parties deteriorated following an offer the French player considered “humiliating.” The offer, to renew his contract with the Jeddah Tigers until the summer of 2027, stipulated that he would not receive a salary, relying solely on image rights.
According to Fichajes.com, Al-Ittihad has its sights set on signing Yamal and is prepared to make a record-breaking offer of €300 million for the 18-year-old player. However, this move would take place next summer, not in the current winter transfer window.
The same source confirms that Jorge Mendes, Yamal’s agent, informed Barcelona’s management of this offer. The Catalan club remains committed to Yamal, regardless of the financial incentives, and is relying on the €1 billion release clause in the Spaniard’s contract to deter any interest from any club in the world.
It is said that Mendes only informed Barcelona of this offer to use it as leverage in the future with Joan Laporta’s administration to secure a higher salary for the Blaugrana’s star player.
Meanwhile, Yamal prefers to stay with Barcelona and has no desire to leave the club that gave him his chance to shine. He aspires to achieve many successes with them in the future, most notably winning the Champions League.
Barcelona gave Yamal his first opportunity to play in 2023 when he was just 16 years old, and he quickly became a global sensation, leading to his inclusion in the Spanish national team for Euro 2024 and their subsequent victory.
Yamal reached 100 goal contributions with Barcelona in just 3 years, surpassing the number of goals scored in the name of Diego Armando Maradona in the Catalan jersey in the Spanish League.
